Saison Athene | Saint Somewhere Brewing Company

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Reviews by barleywinebrewer:

thanks to Jw347 for this bottle. I have had this since late 08, but I don't recall exactly how long I've had it. Since the superbowl was in Florida I figured I'd go for teh FL beer to start the game.

A - a glass full of white foam greets me. a hazy straw yellow beer emerges but the head really hangs on to the last 2 inches forever.
S - pepper, herbs, grassy hops domninate the nose.
T - a teasing spicy yeasty belgian note drives this saison forward. hints of fruit, pepper, coriander intersperse.
M - medium bodied, well carbonated but just under the prickly carbonation level. a hint of abv and a slight linkering pepper and funk note.
D - once the beer settled down it cut through the football food fest and was quite a tasty game beer.

More User Reviews:

3.97/5 rDev +1%look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

i like all of the beers i have had from saint somewhere, they are authentic and rustic and just different enough to be memorable. this one is really clever, the wild funky yeast is subtle and secondary to a very belgian strain that is the backbone of this brew. mostly wheat on the grain from what i gather, and an almost berry smell from the botanicals. i dont get rosemary right away, i get it in the finish. but it seems more fruity than spicy to me, even with the black pepper and the spicy belgian yeast doing double duty. striking carbonation lightens a pretty hefty body, and fruity esters hang out in the finish. alcohol is invisible, but the stature of this beer remains apparent. i like its wild nature, just funky enough, and beautifully dry. definitely worth picking up if you see it around.

Split between Jeff and myself. Pours a completely opaque, dark-ish shade of gold. Murky and cloudy throughout with some lighter orange tints at the edges. Big, foamy white head - pretty volatile pour. The aroma is straightforward with some fresh Belgian-smelling yeast, heavy and very bubblegum-esque. Some very, very sharp and zesty spices, namely clove, sting the nostrils hard. Very clean and crisp, some nice fruity esters come through and sweeten things up a bit. I like how the aroma is raw and straightforward while remaining clean-cut and pure. Hard to explain, but it's refreshing.

The taste is very crisp - heavy doses of carbonation and a medium body provide a snap on the tongue like a fresh Sprite would do. Lemon zest, clove, apple skins. There is a very slight but appreciable tartness that hits right at the beginning in the form of apples and pears. This tartness seems to get heavier with each sip, although it never reaches a "puckering" level of sourness. Where most beers would descend the tartness into a type of sweetness, the mild sour flavor in Saison Athene actually transitions into a soft bitterness, with some slightly grassy and herbal hop flavors. As this bitterness transcends, so do the funky yeast flavors; barnyard, oak, cork, funk. Surprising how these funk flavors barely came through in the aroma at all. The finish contains a substantial amount of this funkiness, along with a light, almost menthol-like freshness, maybe even peppermint. Mild and a little dry.

Overall, not a bad saison. Weirdly enough, the aftertaste contained quite a bit of funk, but I wasn't picking it up in the aroma at all - the aroma actually led me to think this would be a little sweeter than it was. The tartness in the beginning was a nice touch, but the flavors didn't mesh quite as well as I would have like. Still pretty nice, clean, and drinkable. Don't know if it's worth the price, but it wasn't bad.

A- Pours a golden orange fluid that produces a huge soapy head that falls slowly to a solid inch lingering the remainder of the beer. Lacing is thick and pillowy clinching on the sides of the glass with vigor.

T-M- Taste is uplifting and fresh with a zesty citrus bite and lightly bittering hops upfront.
On the secondary of the flavor is a more wild peppery yeast funk that rolls over the tongue quite nicely leaving a lasting slick feel. Carbonation is moderate but not to overpowering.
Mouthfeel is good overall with little to deter you from enjoying this brew.

D- Different and refreshing Saison style beer made right here in Florida... cant go wrong with that. Cheers!

Another Belgian style from Saint Somewhere Brewing, this time a farmhouse ale, or saison. The brewer has faith in their beer already by suggesting that it can age like wine and could be cellared for several years.

The moderate carbonation throws a thick tiny-bubbled creamy lace to the top and it slowly dissipates but still seems to leave a few rings on the glass. Lightly hazed golden-yellow color. Very aromatic with lemon grass, fresh dill, lemon zest and mint with mild apple and pear fruitiness in the nose. Low to moderate level of carbonation still holds enough smoothness and a slick crispness within the medium body. Big herbal tea flavors of lemon grass, mint, and a hint of peppercorn. Maltiness is subdued yet still lends a soft biscuity flavor, alcohol gives a mild warming effect with pear and plum flavors. Spiciness takes it up a half-notch with a bit of heat; herbal phenols never become overbearing. Mellow tartness throughout. Finishes a little dry with a long-lingering herbal flavor.

A sipping beer as the complexity slows things down in a good way, with each sip this beer peels back another layer of complexity yet still keeps approachable. A smidge more carbonation is all we would ask for. The most interesting beer being brewed in Florida right now that we know of. Hunt this beer down.

750 ml bottle, cork says 2008. Pours a clear golden yellow with a creamy white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is funky yeast, floral hops and a little leather and pepper.

The flavor is a little sweet malts and fruit and some spicy yeast with a dry lightly bitter floral hop finish. As it warms, sweet fruits start to dominate. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with spritzy carbonation.

Corked and caged 750 ml bottle proved to be a gusher, after the cork exploded into the ceiling as soon as the cage was removed. When I finally got a pour it was an attractive burnished gold body, slightly hazed, with a large vanilla head that deposited an abundance of lace on the goblet.

Interesting aroma of dusty exotic spices, herbal and grassy hops, and a hint of fresh lemon.

Mouthfeel has a medium body with a spritzy carbonation that is much too high.

Taste has a dry herbal hop dominance that is appropriate for the style. Malt base is subtle but grainy. Ripe green apple notes add some interest. Interesting spice notes include white pepper, clove, chamomile, and some exotics. Some champagne character toward the finish.

An intersting and tasty saison. I scored this one before I realized it was brewed in Florida. Good effort.

Large green bottle, caged and corked, gotta give 'em props for the nice art deco label art. No freshness indication. Yeast chunks floating on the bottom. Pours cloudy apricot, under an initially huge off white head, that settles pretty quickly to a thicker frothy foam, leaves some larger bubble slippery lace. Pungent nose of woody, earthy funk, I also detect a chocolaty note. Quite tasty, offering, I'm confident to say this is the best beer I have ever tried that was brewed in Florida. (Although that is not saying much at all). Lots of saisony goodness here, funk, earth, wood, horse blanket,a load of coriander, lime, pepper, sour edge beginning to come through. Yeast cake/chunks activated late in the pour and adding to the intrigue. Complex, crisp and refreshing. Bring on the spicy, or whatever foods you want and enjoy with this high quality offering.

The beer pours a hazy golden yellow color with a white head. The cork shot off the bottle at a high rate of speed but the beer didn't gush out.

The aroma is very fruity. It smells like fruit cocktail. I get apples, peaches, mangoes and a little tartness. The flavor is heavy on the ginger with lots of citrus fruits in there as well. It tastes a lot like ginger ale with apples and pears added to it. High carbonation and medium mouthfeel.

Pours a hazy orange with decent snow-white foam and a fair amount of lacing.

Very distinct aroma - sour lemon, hay and biscuits with traces of hops. Not much malts on the nose, instead it has a dryness to it that reminds me of Champagne.

Mouthfeel is good, semi-dry and refreshing with a slight sour bite. There are citrus and some tropical flavors such as guava and spice to excite the palate. A very unusual beer for me, I can't say I have had anything quite like it before. Not sure how many I could drink in one sitting, let's start with one and see where I end up...

(Served in a tulip glass)
2008 stamped on the cork
A- This beer pours a pale straw yellow body that is a bit hazy with a strong carbonation of big bubbles. There is a lumpy white head that sticks to the glass in places, but soon fades to a thin film.

S- The bright tartness has a soft white mushroom note that gives way to a big dry spice note with cinnamon bark, and coriander bursting through. There is a little note of cat pee in the dry slices and that fades to a funk hint in the finish that is almost musty but not quite. As the beer warms the aroma of dry spices really comes over the top and is to much, so that it smells a bit chemical.

T- The soft taste of cherry cough syrup turns into apple cough syrup flavor as the beer warms and it continues to grow. There is a soft tart cider note that is a bit dry at the finish. For as crazy and complex as the smell is there isn't much in the taste. There is a lemon tartness that comes through in the middle of the taste as the beer warms along with yeasty flavors.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat or big astringency and a dry finish.

D- I think this beer is to young and might do better over time. All the aromas are strong and almost offensive while they don't seem to work together. The flavor didn't have much depth and was the exact opposite of the aroma. This beer has a bit to many obnoxious spices with no support to really be enjoyed.